The subject matter disclosed herein relates to appliances such as ovens, and more particularly to improved baffle systems for use in appliances such as ovens.
A baffle system is typically used in an appliance, such as an oven, to direct airflow to the burners for combustion in order to generate the heat to operate the oven. The baffle system also provides for cooling the bottom of the appliance.
In traditional single oven appliances (i.e., an appliance with only one oven compartment), there is typically an open area below the oven compartment that accommodates a slide-out drawer. In between the oven compartment and the drawer area is the baffle system. Typically, the baffle system is comprised of metal sheets stacked together with holes in each sheet that are offset between adjacent layers. This allows for radiated heat from the oven compartment to be reflected back up toward the oven compartment while allowing air to flow up from the drawer area through the holes in the baffle system to the burners. Thus, in such a design, the air needed by the burners enters the oven appliance via the drawer area, which is below the baffle system, and is drawn from the open space of the drawer area through the baffle system to the burners. The air flowing through the baffle system also provides a cooling effect. This cooling effect keeps the drawer area, and thus the floor of the appliance, at a suitable temperature while the oven is in operation.
However, in a dual oven appliance design, a second oven compartment is added to the appliance such that one oven compartment is positioned below the other oven compartment. In such a design, due to space restrictions, the second oven compartment eliminates the ability to have an open space drawer area at the bottom of the appliance. Thus, typical airflow via the above-mentioned path (entering drawer area, upward through baffle system, and to the burners) is problematic.